MUMBAI: IIT-Bombay has categorically denied reports that its director, Shireesh B Kedare, has resigned amid the row over the death by suicide of BTech student Sahil Wakode, and said the reports are false.The institute issued the clarification as it announced that Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who had been serving as dean of administrative affairs, has been suspended from the post with immediate effect.“Director IIT Bombay has NOT resigned. We categorically state that the related news is false,” the institute said in a communication to campus residents.Doolla will continue as a professor and as head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. The institute said any further action against him would be taken following an investigation.The developments came after students protesting Wakode’s death raised a series of demands during a late-night meeting with director Kedare on Sunday. The administration discussed and signed an 18-point charter submitted by the protesting students.The institute also publicly apologised for statements made in its earlier communication about the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. Students had accused the institute of “defaming” Sahil by putting out details about the events preceding his death without a proper inquiry.“We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil,” the institute said.It added that the details and circumstances leading to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities.“In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process,” the institute said.The institute’s clarification on the director’s position comes amid continued protests on campus following Wakode’s death. Students had also demanded accountability from the administration and action over the institute’s earlier communication about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
